Many people will expect this series to be about normal, prescription diabetes medications, but these do not treat the root causes. So, instead, the natural foods and herbs which send accurate messages of support and positive-change are preferable for diabetics to use, along with regular meds (if you and your doctor think this is best). I have always used the natural medicines at hand: food in good ratios and choices, movement, clean air, pure water and sunlight, alieviating stress by viewing Nature and other natural methods; all these are the tools of real Health.

I have been introducing you to 10 importqant herbs which can positively impact healing your diabetes: turmeric, garlic, peppermint, parsley, rosemary, chili pepper, cinnamon, ginger, basil and lavender. Turmeric is a member of the same botanical family as ginger is. Both are ant-inflammatories, and diabetes has an inflammatory component.

Dr, Mercola lauds turmeric and it is well-respected in the ancient health system of India, Ayurveda, humanity’s first formal system of medicine. You can buy turmeric on its own, but most of you will have had it when you use curry powder; it colors it naturally, and although it does not have the wonderful flavor of ginger, it’s neutral and is really a powerful food ally and healer.

In a recent email, Dr. Mercola said:

‘What makes turmeric so sought after and even revered by those who use it? Well, not only is turmeric a popular spice, but it has also become one of the most thoroughly studied nutrients for Health. Turmeric and its active compound curcumin affect more than 700 genes and 100 different pathways inside each of your cells. (Em: this is a potent example of epigenetics at work.)

What that means for you is this is turmeric supports a normal immune response, healthy joints and bones, optimal digestion, blood and liver functions, and so much more. Liver health is critical for diabetics, as it is in the liver that the opposing hormone, which counters insulin excess, glycogen, is made and stored.

The turmeric rhizome also acts as an adaptogen – which is a substance which modifies your stress response – bringing it “down” if you are too anxious, and raising your response if you are lethargic or out-of-energy.

Turmeric is also a phenomenal antioxidant which helps your body defend against free radicals, providing support for your eyes, skin, and and all your cells. ‘

So, start investigating ways to add either curry powder or just turmeric to your recipes. Alone, turmeric doesn’t have a hot, spicy flavor (it can be bitter if using too much)(I’d say no more than 1 Tablespoon for a large soup-pot of food, at least until you know your tolerance for its flavor). Also know that its rich color does stain! Curry powders do come in mild to hot. You can even start to make your own mix, as most Indian home-cooks do. It’s not hard!

If you suffer from GERD (Gastric Esophogeal Reflux Disease) or if you take Warfarin or Coumadin, ask your doctor about guidelines for amounts to use. If you are on anti-depressants, realize that turmeric does affect neuro-transmitters like serotonin and noradrenalin in positive ways, so you may not need as much medication with regular turmeric use; discuss this with your physician.

If you are just using normal food amounts, rather than curcumin supplements, the spice should be safe during pregnancy and probably is fine for the conditions just mentioned, too.

Just make sure that you start incorporating this wonderful food into your life.

Please do not use my articles on junk blogs. I will prosecute you. The only use of my copyrighted article is 2 small paragraphs (with my website shown) without further permission, from me, in writing. Contact me at the About Me page on the upper navigation bar if you want to share more than 2 paragraphs. Thanks.

The past couple of weeks, we’ve looked at diabetic-friendly beverages. The following herbal recipe contains 3 anti-inflammatory herbs. As diabetes contains an inflammatory process, this beverage should be helpful in making healthy diabetes food choices.

This is also a low fructose recipe as pineapples only contain moderate amounts. There are serious issues about how fructose behaves in our bodies (see below) and we should not ingest any more than 1 – 2 pieces of low-fructose fruits, daily. Learn more about low fructose foods, here (note the measurements here are in milligrams [mg] and 1,000 mg = 1 gram [g].

I also advise NO juices most of the time, except vegetable juices (note: tomato is a fruit).

An apple contains 9 grams. One whole pear would be most of your limit, as would be 1 cup of grapes or 1/4 cup of raisins. These just mentioned fruits are to be used carefully. Other dried fruits should be used even more carefully, if at all.

Of the melons, watermelon is the most nutritious and least problematic except for fructose issues; you reach your daily fructose limit using just 1/16 of a medium watermelon.

NOTE: The nightshade vegetables and fruits (white and red and yellow potatoes, eggplant, tomatoes, tomatillos, cape gooseberry) are implicated as sources of inflammatory chemicals causing arthritis pain in sensitive individuals. So, if you are having skeletal or muscle pains, these foods might be reduced or eliminated for a few months to see if your Health improves. Sweet potatoes come from a different botanical family and do not cause these issues.

Pomegranate is not on the charts at the links. I use only the prophylactic 2 oz. dose of unsweetened pomegranate a day, as 1 of my few fruits (I mostly eat vegetables).

As this 2 oz. dose of pomegranate helps clear out cholesterol-restricted arteries (harmed by inflammation, and using cholesterol as a “natural bandaid”), I think it is probably OK, as long as we make enough natural cholesterol (from organic coconut oil’s medium-chain fatty acids) to do all the “good work” that cholesterol is meant to do.

Vitamin D is also important in this process and as much as 8,000 IU of Vitamin D3 seem to be needed rather than the 800 IU spoken about now.

Evidently, even at 8,000 IU (equivalent to 20 minutes in summer sun over 40% of your body skin), there is not toxicity, but the Vitamin D3 (only supplement form to use) is still NOT as good as natural sunlight. The supplement is not ready-to-use by our body, yet, and if we do not do the extra step well (which requires cholesterol), then we are still Vitamin D deficient.

Is metabolized differently from glucose, with the majority being turned directly into fat

Tricks your body into gaining weight by turning off your body’s appetite-control system. Fructose does not appropriately stimulate insulin, which in turn does not suppress ghrelin (the “hunger hormone”) and doesn’t stimulate leptin (the “satiety hormone”), which together result in your eating more and developing insulin resistance.

Over time leads to insulin resistance, which is not only an underlying factor of type 2 diabetes and heart disease, but also many cancers.”

Agave is also problematic and turns out to be just as bad as High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) which is a cheap sweetener found in almost all processed and refined foods. Both wreck your Health.

In the past, I espoused agave as it is “low-glycemic”, but the stuff is at least 75% fructose (that’s high!) and it has other serious Health consequences because of that. In the 1970’s, powdered crystaline fructose was touted as “better” than sucrose (“table sugar”) and so we used it. Crystaline fructose is the worst of all. I sure wish scientists were interested in the research back then!

The only safe sweeteners for diabetics, and anyone else, are moderate amounts of pure ORGANIC maple syrup and stevia or organic brown sugar, like Succanat (even less frequently) I prefer the liquid form of stevia, after trying many of the powders.

Organic honey can be used rarely, as all honey has a fairly high amount of fructose, but it has some other benefits. (Never give raw honey to children under 3!); it has botulism spores, as does all honey, and children under 3 immune systems can’t handle that, yet. Organic molasses can also be used sparingly, infrequently.

Three of the herbs incorporated into this drink — turmeric, ginger and cardamom — produce a natural anti-inflammatory effect. The black pepper and the cayenne also help to synergize the benefit of the anti-inflammatory herbs. Cayenne also helps to raise your metabolic rate so you burn calories better. Be aware that cayenne should not be overdone as you do not want to have digestive upset.

I recommend only using organic, non-irradiated spices. Regular spices are irradiated (they don’t have to say that on the label).

In a small pot, combine the first 4 ingredients with 2C of water. Cover and bring to a gentle boil. Turn off the heat and set aside to steep for 20 minutes.

Using a strainer, pour the tea into a large jar, add pineapple juice and chill. Before serving, add the organic cayenne pepper to taste.

Divide the tea between 2 – 4 glasses. If desired, bruise the mint sprigs in the glass.

* You should be able to find fresh turmeric (a member of the Ginger Family) in Asian markets, where it will be part of the recipe for curry powder. Enjoy! Turmeric (and its active ingredient, curcumin, is a wonder-food. More about it in later posts).

** the pineapple provides bromelain, an enzyme which helps digest your food (and is efficacious elsewhere in your body), but this would only be present in fresh, fresh puree and frozen forms, not canned.

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Best to all — Em

REFERENCE: see the links above to Nutrition Data’s Fructose Charts and Doctor Mercola’s article. The recipe originated at Bottom Line.

Please also read the 4 years of still current articles in my archive. See the tab on the upper navigation bar.

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Please do not use my articles on junk blogs. I will prosecute you. The only use of my copyrighted article is 2 small paragraphs (with my website shown) without further permission, from me, in writing. Contact me at the About Me page on the upper navigation bar if you want to share more than 2 paragraphs. Thanks.

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Why I Am So Passionate About This!

The prevention of type 2 diabetes, especially, is looming as one of the most pressing public health concerns of the 21st century ... with ever-increasing numbers of teens and children being diagnosed ... with two-thirds of U.S. adults now overweight or obese and, therefore, seriously at-risk.
Type 2 diabetes is mostly preventable, through education and action. So, it is outrageous that the number of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes is rising, world-wide, and the age they are stricken with it is falling!

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